Research Highlights

Showcase of NIBIB-Supported Research: 2005

Soft Nanotechnology Images Tumors: December 22, 2005
A new technique combining flexible microbubbles and optical imaging may enable researchers to discover dormant metastatic cancer cells as well as improve tumor staging and classification. 

Targeted Drug Delivery With Microbubbles: September 16, 2005
A new method for delivering drugs directly to diseased tissue may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy in brain tumors and reduce its toxic effect on healthy cells. 

Medication Boosts Brain Activity in Kids With Attention Disorders: August 11, 2005
An innovative functional magnetic resonance imaging technique reveals unusually low activity levels in the brain of teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a reading disorder, or both conditions. 

Painless Imaging Reduces Need for Painful Biopsies: July 13, 2005
A modified magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that can assess a patient in less than 20 minutes and does not require injection of specialized dye may help identify cancers and track the effectiveness of treatment. 

Microscopic Scaffolds May Help Regenerate Cells: June 10, 2005
Innovative synthetic tissue scaffolds that transport molecular signals directly to ailing cells such as those in the brain or spinal cord may eventually provide a way to regenerate damaged neurons and restore junctions between nerve fibers lost in paralysis. 

Warped Map Helps Chart the Brain: April 29, 2005
A new brain database and atlas may answer some of the most vexing questions about how the brain works. Image warping techniques allow investigators to compare individual brains with populations of healthy or diseased brains.

Molecular Footprints Step Up Drug Development: March 30, 2005
Synchrotron X-ray footprinting coupled with 3-D computer modeling yields unprecedented insight into the molecular interaction of two viral molecules responsible for causing colds and pinkeye.

Polymer Library May Improve Gene Therapy for Cancer: February 28, 2005
Materials scientists have teamed up with medical researchers to develop a novel way to deliver a deadly payload to cancer cells. The new technique caused 40 percent of prostate tumors in mice to shrink in initial experiments.

Bioengineered Tissue Scaffold Promotes Wound Healing: January 28, 2005
A bioengineered material now plays a crucial role in treating conditions ranging from incontinence to burns.

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